Overview The Crisfield Boat Docking Competition is a timed contest for Chesapeake Bay workboat captains, run on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend at the Crisfield City Dock as the closing event of the National Hard Crab Derby. A captain runs the boat out, races back, turns hard and reverses into a slip, and the run ends when the boat is tied down. Boats compete in classes by length. The Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce runs it and bills it as the original boat docking competition. On site The contest starts at noon. General admission bleachers run along the City Dock at the water's edge, close enough to catch the spray, and the Captain's Deck is a covered VIP bleacher with food and drink servers. Condo balconies look straight down on the slips, and spectators anchor boats and floats off the dock to watch. Music and live commentary run between boats, and a watch party shows every run on the big screen at the Crab Bowl stage in Somers Cove Marina. Sponsor seats sit under the condos, with beer, wine, soft drinks and light fare included. Audience Most captains are full-time commercial watermen docking the boats they work from, and their families and crews line the dock to cheer them on. Spectators fill the bleachers and balconies for the afternoon, and many come by water and watch from their own boats. Talent and Influencers The field is local watermen. Recent class winners include Jamie Marshall on Heather Nicole II, Jake Jacobs on Outlaw and John Ashton on Miss Julie, with winning runs between 20 and 25 seconds. Miss Maryland has sung the national anthem at the contest. Track record Crisfield has held the contest for more than five decades, and the organizers say the sport began here. Similar contests now run in several towns around the Chesapeake Bay each summer. Besides the small, medium and large classes there are wood boat, team and junior classes and a one-run Gamblers Shootout. Entry is capped at the first 15 boats, and captains of entered boats receive a travel payment toward fuel. Brand presence Sponsors come in at three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Every sponsor is announced through the afternoon and appears on the event T-shirts, radio ads and Crab Derby promotional material, the Gold level with its logo and the others by name. Gold sponsors are introduced at the opening ceremony, and Gold and Silver sponsors hang their own banner at the dock. The announcers give long-standing sponsors a shout-out for their years of support.